Biden-Harris campaign to unveil new effort to push abortion rights advocacy ahead of Roe anniversary

President Biden's reelection campaign is preparing to highlight abortion rights in the lead-up to the anniversary of the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision, CBS News has learned, seeking to tie the upcoming election to a "woman's right to make her own health care decisions — including the very possible reality of a MAGA Republican-led national abortion ban."

The extensive plans include ad buys, campaign rallies and events across the U.S. organized in lockstep with the Democratic National Committee, which will launch opinion pieces in local newspapers focusing on statewide abortion bans.  

Ahead of the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision on Jan. 22, television and digital ads highlighting the personal impact of abortion restrictions will air in swing states like Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to a Biden-Harris campaign official.

Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will also hold a campaign rally in Northern Virginia on Jan. 23, the official said. First lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will also attend, marking the first time that the two couples will appear at a campaign rally together since Mr. Biden announced his reelection bid in April, according to the official. 

The rally will focus on attempts in Virginia and other states to roll back reproductive rights in the wake of the Supreme Court's June 2022 Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

"Virginians unequivocally rebuked the MAGA agenda and their attacks on women's reproductive freedom, leading to Democrats retaining the Senate and flipping the House of Delegates to take full control of the General Assembly," the Biden-Harris campaign said in a statement to CBS News.

Though abortion wasn't on the ballot in Virginia, Democrats regained control of the House of Delegates and maintained a majority in the Senate last November after campaigning on protecting the right to the procedure. 

A recent CBS News poll shows that 57% of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. 

CBS News previously reported on the vice president's plans to embark on a multi-state  "reproductive freedoms"  tour that will begin Jan. 22 in the swing state of Wisconsin.

The ongoing effort underscores the Biden campaign's strategy of linking stringent GOP-led abortion restriction efforts across the U.S. to former President Donald Trump, as Trump continues his Republican presidential campaign and moves closer to a potential rematch with Mr. Biden.

According to Democratic allies close to Mr. Biden's reelection effort, his campaign sees abortion rights as a galvanizing issue for their coalition that will bolster the president's chances of retaining the White House.

Since the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision, 21 states have enacted restrictive abortion measures.

"Trump directly paved the way for Republican extremists across the country to enact draconian bans that are hurting women and threatening doctors," Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. "In 2024, a vote for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a vote to restore Roe, and a vote for Donald Trump is a vote to ban abortion across the country. These are the stakes in 2024 and we're going to continue to make sure that every single voter knows it.

"And while the Biden-Harris campaign moves to put abortion rights at the forefront of its reelection campaign, former President Donald Trump recently bragged about his role in helping to get Roe overturned, while urging his fellow Republicans to find consensus on the issue in order to 'win elections."

In:
• Roe v. Wade
• Joe Biden
• Donald Trump
• Abortion

Nancy Cordes

Nancy Cordes is CBS News' chief White House correspondent.

Twitter